Technology Use in the Classroom

Hello, and welcome to my first entry on my new blog page. I'm a Kindergartern teacher at a small school in southern Indiana. I am currently enrolled in a Master's program at IWU. I am excited to be in the education field and hope to make a difference for all young people as they begin their journey in elementary school.
The topic I want to discuss today is how technology is used in my school and in my classroom. I have started to take technology more seriously in my classroom setting. It is very difficulty to incorporate technology with kindergarten students. You have to start at the very beginning and that is just introducing students to a computer. Most students know what a computer is but have no idea how to use one or what they are used for. However, I have found they are very excited about them. So it is my job to introduce them to this very fun and interactive tool. After reviewing the NETS standards, I know how critical it is to make sure I am preparing all my students for a positive learning environment using technology.
I believe some of the barriers I struggle with in using technology in my room are the lack of computers and updated technology equipment availble for students. I also believe my lack of security with using computers, as a teaching tool, adds to the other barriers I have metioned. All of these barriers, followed up by lack of training and time makes for a very tense situation.

The biblical directive "Fear Not" has a strong hold on my teaching with technology. I am always fearful of something that I don't understand. I have never allowed myself to just embrace technology and try to learn from it. I have difficulty letting go and exploring with technology. I am afraid of failure. There I said it...I am afraid of failure or admitting I don't understand how to use technology.

My personal goals for using technology are to just try it. I don't want to just try it for this class. I want to try it and then use it. So many times I am introduced to something with using technology and then I don't use it for whatever reason. This time I want to force myself to use it more. To let go of my fear and just do it or use it! I want to create fun ways for my students to use technology in the classroom setting. I want to show my creative using technology.
I want to be a Technology User and not a Technology Loser!